Summer Break Survival Guide For Work From Home Moms

End-of-School Survival Guide for Work From Home Moms

When I first became a mom, I had a deep, pull-at-your-heartstrings desire to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. I imagined low-stress mornings, crafts at the kitchen table, backyard picnics during summer break, and adventures with mom friends and their kids, just soaking in all the little moments because life truly goes by so fast. But as you and I both know, life is expensive, and it quickly became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to stay home full time unless I figured out a way to become a work from home mom who could help contribute to the family finances while still being present, especially during challenging times like summer break.

Becoming a Virtual Assistant did give me the freedom to stay home with my daughter and contribute financially, but it wasn’t everything I had pictured. While there’s truth to the dream that you can be a work-from-home mama and have flexibility, I know and have met many moms who work from home and balance it all. I quickly learned that working from home still means working, and if you don’t create boundaries with clients and yourself, it’s way too easy to spend your whole summer glued to your laptop, which ends up not being fair to the kids. 

Trust me, I learned this the hard way after spending a whole summer refusing to make plans and being extra available to my clients. I even took Zoom calls while pushing my daughter on the swing or bouncing on the trampoline. It’s crazy, I know!

Now that I’ve been a working mom for the past 5+ years, and with the last day of school quickly approaching I wanted to share a few tricks I’ve learned to help balance client work and family time as a work from home mom, especially during the summer break, without leaning too hard on screen time (though no judgment, we all need a break sometimes!).

Reset Your Expectations (And Ditch the Mom Guilt)

I know this is hard, and society has in many ways destroyed ‘the village’, but you’re not going to be Supermom every day. And that’s okay.

The summer months with kids while working from home are a juggling act. Some days you’ll feel like you nailed it, and other days it might be survival mode, wishing bedtime would come sooner rather than later. 

Never in history have we faced these unique challenges. I mean, think about it, it used to be that the majority of men and women worked on farms side by side, and the kids followed along, helped with chores, or played amongst themselves. Now we are working moms who are also expected to manage our households and take care of the kids, it’s a lot! And while summer camps and daycare are valuable options, I know personally, I didn’t start an online business just to have my child raised by someone else. 

So, while wanting to spend summer vacation with your kids is a valid reason, it’s not a reason to add even more to your plate and stress yourself out further. It’s about doing what you can, with the time and energy you have, and in the process, you’re teaching your kids how to be flexible, how to work hard, and how to rest. That’s pretty amazing!

So no more mom guilt, ok!

Time-Blocking For Work From Home Moms

Time-blocking is definitely a sanity saver for me. It helps me plan out my daily routine, but also allows me to give myself permission to step away from the computer and enjoy time with my daughter, knowing that I put in a reasonable amount of time every single day into meeting my clients’ needs as well. 

Here’s what I do:

• Wake up before my daughter (when I can): My daughter is naturally a late riser, and I don’t mind waking up early and getting to work. I usually use this time to tackle anything that is most urgent for my clients, I like to get those things out of the way first. It helps set up my day for success. Even 45 focused minutes can make a big difference.
• Nap time or quiet time: If your kids are still napping, that’s amazing. Now that my daughter is older, we’ve implemented a “quiet hour.” During this time, she can read a book calmly in her room, do a puzzle, color, or even watch Bluey on TV. She knows that during this time mommy needs to work, and that after I am done working, we can go back and do other fun activities together. Our quiet hour also serves as a great time to come inside, relax, and get out of the harsh afternoon sun. 
• Post-bedtime: I definitely prefer not to have to work in the evenings, especially since it’s very easy for me to knock my internal rhythms out of balance, resulting in horrible sleep. So while it’s not ideal to do this every night, I do sometimes need to catch up or prep for the next day, and this can work in a pinch.
• Communicate with clients: Luckily for me, my Virtual Assistant work tends to slow down naturally during the summer months, a lot of business owners are taking summer holidays and time off to be with their own kids. But I also like to let my clients know that my summer schedule is going to look a bit different. Most are understanding as long as you’re transparent and stay on top of deadlines.

Please also remember that productivity doesn’t have to look like 9-to-5. It can look like 90 focused minutes here, 30 there, and a little evening catch-up. It’s not perfect, but it works.

Set Up Activity Bins You Can Rotate

I also love going to the dollar store and having go-to activity bins ready that I can whip out when we are having a particularly rough day, or maybe it’s raining outside. Here are some of my daughter’s top favorites; 

• Sensory bins with rice, beans, or kinetic sand
• Art supplies: crayons, markers, stickers, washi tape, stencils
• Building materials: Legos, blocks, magnetic tiles
• Puzzle and game bin

Make sure to label them and keep them tucked away when not in use. Only bring one out at a time. This way, they feel “new” when you rotate them back in.

If you have older children, you can create fun challenge cards so they can play more independently.

Create an Activity Board with Sticky Notes

This one’s a hit in our house! I started doing this last year with my daughter, and she absolutely loved it. She is already asking what kind of fun summer break activities will be included this year. 

Grab a Bristol board or corkboard and fill it with sticky note activity ideas. Let your kids pick one each day. It gives them some autonomy and a fun surprise element.

Ideas can include:

• Make a fort with blankets
• Have a dance party
• Backyard scavenger hunt
• DIY obstacle course
• Sidewalk chalk art
• Play with water balloons
• Bake something simple

You can even color code the sticky notes by type: outdoor, creative, quiet time, etc. It makes it easier for kids to choose based on their mood (and your energy level).

Grab My Free Summer Activities Printable (With Affordable or No-Cost Ideas!)

I know coming up with ideas every day can be so exhausting. That’s why I put together a printable with 30+ affordable (think dollar store budget) or no-cost activities to keep your kids busy and having fun while you work.

They’re the exact kinds of things I included on our own Bristol board last year, for when I needed to buy myself 20 minutes of focus time to get a few extra things off my to-do list. 

You can print it out, stick it on the fridge, or use it to fill your activity board.

Click here to grab your free Summer Activity Printable!

Create a Summer Bucket List Challenge

One way to make summer feel more intentional and fun is to create a Summer Bucket List Challenge.

You can sit down with your kids at the beginning of the summer and brainstorm a list of things everyone wants to do. It doesn’t need to be expensive, you can keep it simple, affordable, and realistic.

Here are some great ideas to get you started:

• Go for ice cream
• Visit a splash pad
• Watch a movie outside
• Make homemade popsicles
• Have a picnic at the park
• Stargaze on a blanket
• Visit the library for story time
• ​Play at 5 different playgrounds. 

Once you have your list, you can turn it into a poster or a printable and hang it on the fridge where everyone can see it. Once you’ve completed an activity, you can cross it off as you go. It gives your kids something to look forward to and helps you make memories without scrambling for ideas at the last minute.

Side note: At the end of the summer, it’s also nice to reflect back on the variety of activities, the fun adventures you’ve been on, and the quality time you’ve experienced. As a mom, and as someone who is the kind of person that is hard on herself, I always feel like I am ‘not doing enough’, which helps shift the perspective a bit. 

Bonus tip: You can also tie the challenge to a little reward. Maybe when you check off 10 activities, you celebrate with a family pizza night or a trip to the dollar store.

This is the kind of stuff that kids will remember and continue to talk about when they are older. 

Summer Break Survival Tips That Have Helped Me

Here are a few bonus tips. These are some things that I’ve heard other moms try and want to give them a try myself this summer as a work from home mom. 

• Snack station: Prep snacks in bins at kid-height so they can help themselves without interrupting your workflow. There are pros and cons to this for me, like my daughter potentially ruining her next meal because she snacked too much.
• Timers are magic: Set a timer for your work time and your kid time. It builds trust when you say, “I need 30 minutes, and then I’m all yours.” Timers are honestly magic for my daughter, and it helps cut down on the struggle of being able to leave or shift activities, especially when she always asks for ‘5 more minutes!’, 
• Trade with other moms: If you know another work-from-home mom, see if you can take turns hosting playdates. That way, each of you gets a quiet day to work once in a while.
• Day Camps: While I know the goal is to manage it all, sometimes it is nice to have a week, or at least a few days, to catch up on work. I was able to find some great day camp options for my artistic daughter, and I know she will have a blast being with kids her own age. It also kind of helps to reset the tone for being home the whole summer. 

You’re Doing a Great Job (Even When It Doesn’t Feel Like It)

Summer is messy and wonderful and overwhelming and sweet, and it always goes by way too fast!

You won’t get it perfect. You’ll have days where the house is a disaster, the kids are wild, and your client is waiting on that email. But you’ll also have days filled with giggles, dirty feet, and popsicles on the porch. But with a little bit of time management and routine, you can make this the best summer yet!

Before you know it, school will be back in session, and this wild, beautiful summer will be just a memory.

So take a deep breath, grab your activity bins, and remember, you’ve got this, mama.

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